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Ohio Turnpike moves into overdrive on improvements

The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission is building the largest construction project in its history, dating back to the years leading up to the turnpike’s 1955 completion. The toll collection system or TCS modernization project, adopted by the turnpike commission in December 2017, has reached full swing as 2022 winds down, and it will continue next year. More than 20 construction projects are required to build the infrastructure enabling the turnpike commission to modernize the TCS, which will create open road tolling lanes for E-ZPass customers to travel non-stop across the ...

Ohio’s opportunity to lead EV transition

California recently approved a policy that phases out the sale of gas-powered vehicles by 2035, and while many states are looking to follow suit, this plan is very shortsighted. Forcing Americans to swap their gas guzzlers for an electric vehicle is simply a heavy-handed policy that won’t be successful — and could be disastrous if we let the accompanying infrastructure lag behind. The federal government is investing billions to fund charging stations across the country. But, with heat waves causing rolling blackouts and power grids struggling to convert to renewable energy, our ...

Injuries from fireworks down, but be sure to remain vigilant

From 1994 to 2021, there has been a 74.7 percent decrease in injuries per 100,000 pounds of consumer fireworks used in the U.S., while there has been a 265 percent increase in consumption. Consumption has increased from 117 million pounds in 1994 to 428.8 million pounds in 2021, and injuries per 100,000 pounds of fireworks used during the same period dropped from 10.7 to 2.7. The year 2021 was record-breaking in the U.S., with the greatest use of fireworks and the lowest fireworks-related injury rate ever recorded. The use was up by a factor of four since 1994, while the injury rate is ...

Power of grassroots: Investing in meat processing

Last week, Gov. DeWine announced the recipients of $15 million grant to Meat Processors in Ohio. This is the second round of awards through the Ohio Meat Processing Grant Program administered by The Ohio Department of Development in collaboration with the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Round one awarded almost $25 million to processors in 53 Ohio counties. The grant program is to help expand the capacity of local meat processors and meet the growing demand for meat processing services, which is a win-win for processors, farmers, consumers and communities. The grants are to be used ...

Serving clients creates advocates for justice

I talk to them every day — people who are doing good things, who have fallen on hard times. As a paralegal at Community Legal Aid, my job is to walk alongside our clients as they face some of the most difficult and troubling times in their lives. I get to see the change in their lives from the time they come to us, until the time they leave. And that work really is a privilege. It bothers me, then, to hear some of the stereotypes that persist in our culture about our clients. For those of us who work in nonprofit or advocacy realms, we tend to see the people we serve painted in ...

Electric vehicle infrastructure funds support region

It’s been a truly exciting few years for economic revitalization in Warren, and we believe it’s just beginning. In this “Voltage Valley,” small businesses are reinvesting in their community, young people are signing leases, and innovators are reaching out to us daily. It’s a vibrancy that is continually growing across our region. Even with a lingering disruption of the pandemic for more than two years, all signs are pointed toward us maintaining much of the economic momentum that we had in the bank until that point. Simply put, this community is poised to bounce back even ...